Shaping the Future of Green IT: My Appointment to the Inaugural ACS Sustainability Technical Committee
Posted by Tim Prosser | Founding Director, Sustainably Digital
I am proud to announce that I have been appointed to the Australian Computer Society’s (ACS) inaugural Sustainability Technical Committee for a two-year voluntary term (April 2026 – April 2028).
At Sustainably Digital, our core mission is to help organisations govern and deploy technology responsibly—balancing business performance with environmental integrity. Joining this pivotal ACS committee allows me to scale that mission, collaborating with leading academic and industry experts to shape national industry standards and spearhead thought leadership in digital sustainability.
The Mandate: Bridging Technology and Environmental Vision
Sustainability carries profound implications for our shared future, and technology sits right at the heart of both the problem and the solution. The ACS is Australia's peak Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professional body, representing ~45,000 members.
The mandate for our new committee is clear: Address sustainability and ESG goals through ICT deployment and innovation, develop resources to help organisations meet compliance needs, and position the ACS as a trusted advisor bridging the technology, industry, and government sectors.
As Rod Dilnutt (ACS Management Committee) noted during the launch, the committee will serve as a "leading edge catalyst for innovation," helping to create a greener, more resilient world by combining technical expertise with environmental foresight.
Why This Matters Now
Over the past two decades of my career—spanning systems integration, enterprise technology, and climate tech innovation—I’ve seen IT shift from a back-office support function to a core driver of business strategy and value creation. Sustainability must now undergo that exact same transition.
ICT professionals must own their environmental impact, rather than outsourcing it to corporate sustainability teams. Currently, the "hidden environmental costs" of digital transformation are mounting:
Generative AI & Data Centres: The immense energy and water demands required for cooling and processing are straining Australia's grid. We urgently need to shift toward mandating 100% new, additional 24/7 carbon free energy and adopting circular economy principles (such as using recycled water).
E-Waste: We need comprehensive strategies to address the intergenerational impacts of hardware disposal.
Carbon Accounting: We must move beyond lazy, spend-based measurement approaches toward granular, accurate technology emissions baselines.
I recently discussed many of these themes during the "Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability" panel at Climate Action Week Sydney 2026. This committee appointment provides a powerful platform to turn those discussions into actionable frameworks, standards, and compliance resources for the broader Australian tech community.
The Inaugural Committee Members
I am honoured to serve alongside a dedicated team of experts drawn from across industry and academia. Congratulations to my fellow appointees.
This committee joins other pivotal ACS groups—including AI in Society, AI Technical Advancement, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity—further aligning the ACS with the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).
Looking Ahead
I want to extend my gratitude to the ACS Management Committee for mobilising this initiative. I look forward to bringing a practitioner's perspective and a challenger's mindset to the table over the next two years.
It is time to make digital sustainability measurable, credible, and actionable. Let's get to work.
***
Tim Prosser is the Founding Director of Sustainably Digital. To learn more about uncovering the hidden environmental costs of your digital operations, or to hear his recent appearances on "The Green Fix" podcast, subscribe to our newsletter.